Folding chair



Feb. 20, 1951 C. E. MEEKER FOLDING CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 3,1945 C. E. MEEKER Feb; 20, 1951 FOLDING CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M Mr/42,5

Filed Dec. v25, 1945 Patented Feb. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEFOLDING CHAIR Charles E. Meeker, Detroit, Mich.

Application December 3, 1945, Serial No. 632,357

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to chairs and in particular to foldable chairs.

One object of this invention is to provide a combination reclining chairand rocker which is collapsible into a small bundle for storage ortransportation.

Another object is to provide a combination reclining chair and rockerhaving arm rests which are adjustable for height, thereby adding to thecomfort of the occupant.

Another object is to provide a combination reclining chair and rockerhaving a flexible seat and back formed of textile material or the likewith improved means for adjusting the length thereof and therebyadapting the chair quickly and easily to the comfort of the individualcupant or to occupants of different heights.

Another object is to provide a combination reclining chair and rockerhaving an attachable and collapsible leg rest which is also foldable inthe same small bundle occupied by the rocker itself.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentduring the course of the following description of the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation of the combined reclining chair and rockeraccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with theleg rest attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the chair shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the leg rest, taken along theline 3-3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a vertical section through the leg rest taken along the line44 in Figure 1, showing one of the spreaders therefor;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the spreader and its connections shownin Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a modification of the spreader shownin Figures 4 and 5;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the upper right-hand cornerof Figure 2, showing the means for adjusting the length of the chairback;

Figure 8 is a cross-section along the lines 88 in Figures 2 and 7;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the upper end of the chair back andwedge stop shown in Figures 7 and 8; v

Figure 10 is an enlarged perspective view of one end of a cross bar ofthe chair; and

Figure 11 is an enlarged perspective view of one end of an upright ofthe chair cooperating with and fitting into the cross bar end shown inFigure 10.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figure 1 shows a preferredembodiment of the invention as consisting of a foldable chair unit,generally designated I0, to which is attached a foldable leg rest unit,generally designated II. The chair unit I0 consists of a pair ofuprights I2 of elongated form and having angled lower ends I3 adapted toconform to the surface of the ground or floor when the uprights I2 arein their normal inclined position. The uprights I2 near their lower endsare provided with a spreader I4 pivotally secured thereto as at I5 andconsisting of a pair of straps I6 and I1, preferably of metal andextending toward one another. The straps I6 and I! are pivotallyinterconnected by a pivot fastener I8 (Figure 2) and a portion I9 of thestrap I6 is bent perpendicularly to the upper edge thereof to engage theupper edge of the strap I! at a short distance from the pivot pin I8. Inthis manner, the uprights I2 are permanently spaced apart by thespreader I l, but are also held together as a unit when the portions I6and I! of the spreader I4 are folded into positions lying alongside theuprights I2.

The upper ends of the uprights I2 are forked to provide a slot 20(Figure 11) adjacent which are arms 2| with flared portions 22 at theends thereof. The arms 2| are interconnected by a fastener 23 to preventsplitting and to further strengthen the ends of the uprights I2. Theends of the arms 2| are tapered on their opposite lateral faces 24 and25 to render them wedgeshaped.

The uprights I 2 are interconnected at their upper ends by a cross bar26 (Figures 2 and 10), the ends of which are provided with downwardlydiverging wedge-shaped grooves 21 and 28 on their opposite sides, thesegrooves corresponding to and mating with the tapered arms 2|. The bridgeportion 29 between the slots 2T| and 28 is also of such width andthickness as to fit into the longitudinal slots 20 at the upper ends ofthe uprights I2. In this manner, the weight of a person in the chair I0constantly urges the wedge-shaped arms 2| at the upper end of theuprights I2 into the corresponding wedge-shaped grooves 21 and 28,resulting in a tight connection therebetween which prevents wobbling,yet which is instantly separable when the chair is folded up.

The cross bar 26 is provided intermediate its ends with a slot 30 havingsides 3| and 32 angled relatively to one another so as to provide agroove of approximately triangular cross-section (Figures '7 and 8).Insertable in the wedge-shaped slot 30 is a wedging unit 33 of roughlytriangular cross-section mating with the slot 3|]. The Wedging unit 33consists of a pair of elongated members 34 and 35 (Figure 9), eachhaving a crosssection approximately that of a right triangle. Themembers 34 and 35 are clamped on opposite sides of the upper end of thechair back 36 and secured thereto by fasteners 31 with the bases of themembers 34 and 35 upward. In assembly,

cupant, the upper end of the chair back 36 being rolled up upon the unit33 as a core. Since the chair back 36 is of flexible material, such-ascanvas or other textile material, the length there of may be varied asdesired, and'the back shortened or lengthened. I

The opposite end of the chair back 36 .is setheuprights l 2.

changeable for the right or left arm so that only one rest has to bemade for use on both arms. Moreover, this construction also enables thearm rests to be interchanged so that both are inclined inward so as tobe used by a child. The arm rests 54 are adjustable up or down along theuprights 12 as shown in chain lines in Figure 1, merely by lifting theirouter ends and sliding them along When the arm rest 54 is lowered at itsadjusted position, the fastener 58 and groove end 59 cooperate to engagethe forward and rearward. edges J60 and 6! of the uprights i l2. Theweight of the users arms upon the arm cured to a lower cross-bar 38(Figure 2) by loop ing'it around the cross-bar and securing thefree endto the back 36 as by the transverse stitching 39. The ends of the crossbar 38 are grooved on their opposite sides as at 30 with wedge-shap edgrooves similar to the grooves 21 in the ends of the upper cross bar 26(Figure 10). Engaging and mating with the wedge-shaped grooves 39 arethewedge-shaped end arms ii of the pair of standards d2. configurationto the wedge-shaped end arms 2| on the upper ends of the uprights i2(Figure 11) and have longitudinal slots d3 similarly engaging the bridgeportion between the wedge-shaped grooves 40. This construction providesa firm yet instantly separable connection between the cross bar 38 andthe standards 62, yet the weight of the occupant constantly urges thesemembers together and prevents wobbling. The standards 42 are providedwith fasteners 44 below the inner ends of the slots d3, therebypreventing splitting. The bottom ends 45 of the standards (.2 are cutoff at an angle in order to fit the ground, floor or deck where thechair is being used.

The lower ends of the uprights l2 and standards 32 are interconnected byflexible connectors 45, these being preferably chains with their op.posite ends anchored to eye-bolts l? secured-respectively to theuprights I2 and standards 32.

The ends 48 of the cross bar 38 are provided with fasteners 33 (Figures1 and 2) serving as pivots and anchorages for the end links 5b offlexible connectors 55, preferably chains. The opposite portions of theflexible connectors 5! are adjustably secured to hooks 52 secured to theuprights I2, which are provided with recesses 53 beneath the ends of thehooks so as to facilitate the insertion of a link of the flexibleconnector iii. In this manner, the length of the flexible connectors 5imay be varied to vary the inclination of the standards 12 and uprightsl2 relatively to each other and to the ground, floor or deck.

The uprights l2 are provided with adjustable arm rests 54 provided withslots 55 arranged obliquely thereto in a lengthwise direction so thatthe arm rests 54 are angled outward. The slots 55 form spaced arms 55and 5? (Figure 2) these arms engaging the sides of the uprights i2. Theoutward angling of the arm rests 5 1 by reason of the oblique1y-directedslots 55 prevents their interfering with or catching on the clothing ofa person getting into or out of the chair, as well as insuring a morecomfortable posture than if they were parallel. The arms 55 and 5? maybe tightened against the uprights i 2 by tightening the screws or bolts58 which extend across the ends of the slots 55, behind the uprights S2.The forward edge or end 59 of the slot 55 is preferably V-shaped invertical cross-section (Figure l) with two relatively-angled'faces inorder to fit the inclined forward edge of the upright l2 moreaccurately. This 7 makes the arm rests imer- The end arms 4! are similarinrests'5l3' increases the holding effect of the arm rests 54 at theiradjusted positions. O

' The lower cross bar 38 is provided with apertures 62 adapted toreceive the ends of bent hooks 63, these being mounted in the ends ofthe longitudinal frame members 64 of the leg rest H (Figures l land 3).The ends are preferably surrounded by ferrules 65 in order to preventsplitting.

Y Pivotallyinserted in sockets 55 in the inner sides of the longitudinalframe members 64 are pivot pins 8? embedded in the upper ends of legmembers-68 and 69 interconnected intermediately by the pivot fastenersiii (Figure 3) The lower ends of the leg members 68 and 69 are angled asat it to fit'the ground, floor or deck and are optionally provided withanti-slipping elements 52, such as rubber cups, domes or sockets, orspikes. It will be evident that spikes are especially useful when thedevice is made up in the form of camp chairs, as thesespikes will enterthe ground and firmly anchor the leg members 55 and 69 in position.

The longitudinal frame members 6d are interconnect-2d by collapsiblespreaders l3 composed of straps l5 and (Figure 5) having slots 8 formedin their opposite ends to providehinge pin portions ll, the latter beingpivotally held by the U-shaped portion 18 of brackets 19 secured to thelongitudinal frame members 64. The inner end of the'strap M is similarlyslotted as at iii) to provide a hinge pin portion 8! which is receivedwithin the U-shaped portion 82 of a bracket 83 secured to the strap '55.Located between the hinge-"pin portions ii and 8| of the strap M arenotches 84 (Figure 5) extending inwardly from the edges thereof andengaged by projections 85 formed in the'free end of the strap l5 andbent at right angles thereto. The projections 85 are bent slightlytoward one another to provide a detent action for releasably holding thestraps l4 and E5 in engagement.

Extending between and secured at their opposite ends to the longitudinalframe members 64, as by the fasteners 36, are flexible cross members 81and 38, preferably of textile material such as heavy canvas or webbelting (Figures 2 and 4). Secured to the'flexible cross members iiland8% are longitudinally extending slats 39 which provide leg rest portionsfor the leg rest unit I l. The slats 39 are secured to the flexiblecross members 86 by any suitable means, such as by fasteners S9. Themodification shown in Figure 6 consists of a collapsible spreader 9!having a similar function to the collapsible spreader is shown in Figure5, but consisting of straps 92 and 93 of channel cross-section havingtheir ends cut away as at 94 to provide ears 95 engaging the upper andlower'edges of the longitudinal frame members Gd-"andpivotally securedthereto by the pivot fasteners 95, extending through the cross members54. The inner end of .the strap 92. is cut away as at 91 to provide cars88 between which extends a pivot fastener 89, the intermediate portionof which passes through the tubular portion 188 of a bracket i lisecured to the web portion 02 of the strap 93. The side portions H83 ofthe strap 92 are bent slightly toward one another relatively to theirweb portion so as to frictionally engage the side portions 585 of thestrap 93.

The operation of the invention has been described to some extent inconnection with the construction thereof. in the drawings in its set-uparrangement, let it be assumed that the chair is thus set up and isfolded into a compact bundle. To accomplish this, the leg rest unit iiis detached from the chair unit it by unhooking the hooks 68 from theapertures 82 in the cross bar 98. Pressure is applied to the straps i iand E or 92 and 98 in the region of their hinge pin portions 81 or 89,as by placing the knee thereat, as a fulcrum, at the same time pullingthe ends toward one another, thereby folding the spreader it or 9! sothat the straps M and 75 or 92 and 93 lie alongside one another. Whilethis is occurring, the longitudinal frame members (it are pushed towardone another until they lie alongside each other. The leg members 58 and69 are swung toward one another, pivoting around the fastener iii(Figure 3) until their end pins 67 come out of the sockets 55, whereuponthey, too, slide alongside one another like the halves of a pair ofscissors. Meanwhile, the flexible cross members 87 and 88 havecollapsed, causing the slats 89 to lie alongside the longitudinal framemembers B l. All parts of the leg rest unit I i may thus be collapsedand strapped together into a single elongated bundle.

The chair unit Iii is collapsed by first unhooking the flexibleconnectors 5! from the hooks 52, after which the cross bars 26 and 3Bare pulled out of their wedge and socket connection with the uprights I2and standards 442 respectively. The spreader i4 is then collapsed bypulling the parts It and H thereof upward around the pivot pin l8,thereby enabling the standards 42 and uprights 2 to be folded into anelongated bundle alongside one another. The arm rests 5A are removedmerely by lifting their outer ends upward and sliding them oh? the endsof the uprights 12. The flexible chair back 88 may be rolled up aroundone of the cross bars 26 or 38 or merely folded up. Optionally, thevarious parts of the leg rest unit H and chair unit iii, excepting thechair back 38 and cross bars 26 and 38, may be laid out on the floor,ground or deck, alongside one another and rolled up in the chair back38, with the cross bars 28 and 38 inside and outside the bundlerespectively. The entire assembly may then be stowed away in a smallspace, such as in a vehicle.

To set up the chair, the foregoing operations are reversed in an obviousmanner.

While I have shown and described my invention in detail, it is to beunderstood that the same is.

to be limited only by the appended claims, for many changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is: 1. An adjustable arm rest for a chair having Since thechair is shown inclined uprights, comprising an elongated platelikemember having near one end thereof an elongated aperture for the passageof said inclined upright, said aperture having a length exceeding thelength of a horizontal section through said upright at the point ofattachment of said memher, the inner end of said aperture having adoubly inclined portion of E -shaped cross-section with tworelatively-angled faces, one of which faces is adapted to engage theinclined edge oi either upright, one of said angled faces being directedupward to engage said inclined upright as a limiting stop upon adjustingsaid rest and the other angled face being directed downward toabut saidinclined upright in the working position of said arm rest.

2. An adjustable arm rest for a chair having inclined uprights,comprising an elongated platelike member having near one end thereof anelongated aperture therein arranged obliquely thereto in a lengthwisedirection for the passage of said inclined upright whereby to positionsaid arm rests out of parallelism with one another, said aperture havinga length exceeding the length of a horizontal section through saidupright at the point of attachment of said member, the inner end of saidaperture having a doubly beveled portion of V-shaped cross-section withtwo relatively-angled faces, one of which faces is inclined atsubstantially the same angle to the horizontal as the inclined edge ofsaid upright, one of said angled faces being directed upward to engagesaid inclined upright as a limiting stop upon adjusting said arm restand the other angled face being directed downward to abut said inclinedupright in the working position of said arm rest.

3. An adjustable arm rest for a chair having inclined uprights,comprising an elongated platelike member having near one end thereof anelongated aperture therein arranged obliquely thereto in a lengthwisedirection for the passage of said inclined upright and efiectingdivergence of the opposite arm rests relatively to one another, saidaperture being of substantially the same width as said upright buthaving a length exceeding the cross-sectional dimension of said upright.

CHAS. E. MEEKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 766,484 Armstrong Aug. 2, 1904829,888 Pyle Aug. .28, 1906 866,316 Watson Sept. 17, 1907 1,297,537Brungard Mar. 118, 1919 1,427,581 Croft Aug. 29, 1922 1,460,721 ListerJuly 3, 1923 1576,900 Collier Mar. 16, 1926 1,995,739 Friesner Mar. 26,1935 2,080,761 Crawford May 18, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date11,086 Great Britain 1912 118,821 Australia Aug. 15, 1944

